Centrifugal fixture



- c. e. HAWLEY CENTRIFUGAL' FIXTURE.

Aug. 16,1921,

Filed Nov. 28, 1%24 Patented Aug. 16, 1927.

UNITED STATES resasez PATENT oFFics.

CHARLES GILBERT HAWLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GENTBIFIX GOR-IORATION, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

GENTRIFUGAL FIXTURE.

, Application filed November 28, 1924. Serial No. 752,722.

In operating steam boilers and in like processes of evaporation anddistillation, it is assumed and desired that the steam or other vaporevolved shall leave the steam or vapor drum in a pure state, that isfree from globules of liquid and particles of solid matter. As a rulethe conditions controlling and modifying the operation in at least somemeasure defeat this primary eX- pectation of purpose with the resultthat the vapor leaves the drum in an impure state. The present inventioncomprises a centrifugal fixture; that is, a device that does not itselfmove or rotate, but never the less reliably induces a strong centrifugalaction within the stream or streams of escaping steam or other fluidevolved, where by the foreign substances are removed from the fluid tobe later returned to the body of liquid undergoing evaporation ordischarged externally if it is desired to rid the boiler or evaporatorof such substances. The most difficult cases for consideration doubtlessare presented by steam boilers having steam drums partly occupied bysteam and partly by boiler water in a state of violent agitation. Insome boilers the agitation is greatest at the middle portion of thedrum; in others the agitation is largely located at one end of the drum.Not infrequently the boiler nozzles or outlets must be located quitedirectly opposite the points of more violent agitation within the steamdrums, and such cases present the greatest diflieulties when it isattempted to purify or dry the'steam leaving the steam, drums. Thisinvention has for its special object the mastering of the particulardifficulties above presented. To this end my invention com prises asteam drum or the like having an outlet or nozzle in its top andequipped with a reach tube within the drum and extending from its nozzletoward the end of the drum where the agitation'of the liquid is likelyto be least. And at that point the reach tube is equipped with acentrifugal separator or fixture, through which, the steam or othervapor enters the reach tube. As will presently appear, the fixture is ofsuch construction that the entering steam is caused to whirl violentlyas a preliminary to entering the reach tube and just prior to suchescape of the vapor it is deprived of its'burden of liquid globules andsolids,

the latter being separated from the vapor on reference to the drawingsthat form part I of this specification and in which Fig. 1 is a verticallongitudinal section of a steam boiler drum containing a centrifugalfixture embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating adrum having its outlet or nozzle at one end and the centrifugal fixtureat the other. Fig. 3 is a cross-section showing the position of theparts in the steam drum. Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinalcross-section of one of the centrifugal fixtures proper. Fig. 5 is anend View of the fiXturepa-rtly in section on the line 55 of Fig. 4:.Fig. 6 is a crosssection on the line 66 of Fig. A, viewed in thedirection of the arrow 6. Fig. 7 is a cross-section on the line 66 ofFig. '45 viewed in the direction of the arrow 7, and incidentally showstuyere blades of modified shape, and Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectionon theline 5-5 of Fig. 4 intended to better illustrate the drain in thebottom of the horizontally positioned centrifugal fixture.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 8 the steaindrum is marked 1. As usual, the drum ischaracterized by a manhole 2 and cover plate 3 at one end; As is usualwith the uppermost drum of a steam boiler, the top of the drum serves asthe steam space 4:, while the lower part of the drum isfilled withboiler water 5. The disengagement surfaces are marked 6.

The drum of Fig. 1 has its steam outlet or nozzle 7 in its top andmidway between its ends. This may he assumed to represent the drum of awater-tube boiler, the tubes of which (not shown) directly enter thebottom of the drum. In such cases avery irregular disengagement ofsurface is presented, the

boiler water tending to the most violent agitation and rising to thegreatest height at the middle of the drum. A contrasting case ispresented in Fi 2, which is assumed to represent the steam drum of awater-tube boiler of the header type, in which the dis engagementagitation is localized at one end of the boiler. Where, as in Fig. 2,the steam outlet nozzle 8 may be located near the front or most activeend of the boiler, it is extremely diliicult to prevent the priming ofthe steam.

Accepting such diflicult conditions, my invention comprises in each casea fitting 9 or 9, positioned the boiler nozzle, and in freecommunication therewith. Next, a reach tube extending to the quiet endof the drum and finally a centrifugal fixture or separator positioned onthe end of the reach tube in the quiet end of the drum. in such cases aspresented by Fig. 1 the fitting 9 takes the form of a T with two reachtubes 101O extending into repective ends of the drum, and each reachtube is equipped with its centrifugal fixture 11. These fixtures andtheir discharge pipes will be more fully described her ina ter.

In the case of Fig. 2 the fitting takes the form of an elbow and asingle reach tube 12 extends therefrom to the opposite end of the drum,where the centrifugal fixture 13 is applied. @bviously only steam of thebest quality evolved can find its way to the nozzle, and to do so itmust pass through the centrifugal fixture or fixtures and the co?spending reach tubes. There are no perforations in the latter unlessperhaps one or more drain plugs let be provided for convenientlyemptying them of condensation when the boiler is cold.

The preferred form of centrifugal fixture demanded by my inventioncomprises two main parts, see Figs. l to 8. The part marked 15 in theseveral figures of the drawing is a hollow ring or body portion oflittle depth. This contains the central outlet opening 16 formed withinthe collar 17. The latter is peripherally threaded to receive the end ofthe reach tube and the interior of the latter actually forms the centraldischarge outlet of the centrifugal fixture. The part 15 contains thecircular race 18, which, at one side, is provided with the tangentialperipheral discharge nozzle 19. At the bottom the race is also providedwith a small drain opening or tuyere 20, to be referred to later. Thelarge opening 21 of the part 15 directly communicates with the interiorof the annular tuyere ring 22. The latter is attached to the member 15as by screws or bolts its principal members are the bottom or endclosure 24- and the annular series of tuyere blade 25. The blades aretangentially positioned and may be either of the overlapping type shownin Fig. 6 or of the nonlapping type shown in Fig. 7. In either case thesteam entering through the tangential tuyeres 25 (the relatively longand narrow slots between the tuyere blades) is perforce prevented fromdirectly moving toward the outlet 16 and takes on a rapid whirlingmotion within the tuyere ring and within the race 18. in consequence ofthis rotation the globules of moisture and particles of solid mattercarried by the steam are centrifugally separated, and, being accumulatedin the race 18, are forcibly expelled through the nozzle 19. Thus, theimpurities are prevented from entering the reach tube, leaving only thepurified steam to pass to the nozzle and thence escape from the boiler.The impurities from the nozzle 19 may be discharged directly back intothe boiler, but by preference they are conducted away through a pipe andeventually discharged through an external trap 26. The plural equipmentof Fig. 1 requires two such discharge pipes, but these may be joinedwithin the drum so that the combined discharge may pass to a singletrap.

Due to the form and position of the parts, water of condensation mayaccumulate therein when the boiler is shut down. The drains 20 areemployed to prevent the accumulation of water of condensation in therace bottoms of the centrifugal fixtures. As clearly shown in Figs. 5and 8, the drain 20 is constantly open. When the boiler is shut down anyaccumulation in the race may freely drain therefrom. The drain holeenters the race tangentially so thatv during the operation of the boilerthe steam which naturally enters there-through shall be given the samedirection as the whirling substances within the race. In other words,the position of the tuyere 20 is such as to prevent the disturbance ofthe collected substances by, the iii-flowing jet of raw steam a-t'thedrain 20.

As various modifications of the invention will suggest themselves tothose skilled in the art, it is to be understood that this invention isnot restricted'to the specific disclosures of the drawings, but iscoextensive with the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, l

